Chapter 3 #2
“The elevator’s just ahead.” Gerri’s voice carried easily over the hum of massive generators. “Fair warning—it goes deeper than most people expect.”
The elevator doors opened with a soft chime, revealing an interior that looked like it belonged in a luxury hotel rather than an industrial facility. Polished brass fixtures gleamed under warm lighting, and the floor was actual marble.
This keeps getting stranger.
Gerri pressed a button marked with symbols Lila didn’t recognize, and the elevator began its descent. And kept going. And going.
“How deep are we going?” Lila’s ears popped as they plummeted far below any reasonable sub-basement level.
“Deep enough that nobody asks questions about unusual energy signatures.” Gerri’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “City power grids are excellent cover for interdimensional travel. All that electromagnetic interference masks the portal energy beautifully.”
The elevator finally stopped with a gentle bump, and the doors opened onto a stark white hallway that stretched impossibly far into the distance. A single door waited at the end, looking like a pinprick of gold in the sterile expanse.
Their footsteps echoed as they walked, and Lila noticed the subtle thrum of energy in the walls around them—not electrical, but something deeper and more ancient.
When they reached the door, Lila’s eyebrows shot up. A gold nameplate read “Gerri Wilder” in elegant script.
“You actually have an office down here?”
“I have offices everywhere, dear.” Gerri produced an ornate key from her purse. “The universe requires a lot of administrative support.”
The door opened to reveal the most anticlimactic space imaginable—a simple desk, a chair, and absolutely nothing else. Not even a window or a plant to break up the stark white walls.
“This is... minimalist.”
“I don’t spend much time here.” Gerri moved to the desk and opened the single drawer, retrieving what looked like a small metal egg. “This room serves only one purpose.”
The egg was warm to the touch when Gerri handed it to her, humming with the same energy Lila had felt in the hallway walls.
“Earth-side access to the wormhole.” Gerri took the egg back and held it close to her lips. “Ready for the ride of your life?”
Lila’s heart hammered against her ribs. Last chance to run back home and pretend this never happened.
But something deep within her pulled her forward, toward whatever waited on the other side of that portal. The same inexplicable certainty that had made her accept this mission in the first place.
“Do it.”
Gerri whispered words in a language that sounded like music and starlight. The egg began to glow, soft blue light spilling between her fingers. The light expanded, stretching across the white wall until it formed a perfect circle six feet across.
And through that circle, Lila could see another world.
Oh my God. It’s real. It’s actually real.
Volcanic ridges reached toward twin suns—one bright yellow, the other a deep blood-orange that painted everything in warm, impossible light. She could see rivers of actual lava winding between black cliffs, and in the distance, a pink ocean that sparkled like liquid gemstones.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Gerri’s voice was soft with something like maternal pride. “Nova Aurora has that effect on people. Especially people with the right blood.”
Right blood? What does that mean?
But before Lila could ask, Gerri was stepping through the portal, her white bob disappearing into alien sunlight.
Here goes nothing.
Lila took a deep breath and followed.
The sensation hit her like diving into warm honey mixed with lightning. Space stretched and compressed around her, colors bleeding together in impossible spirals. Her body felt simultaneously weightless and heavy, as if gravity couldn’t decide which direction to pull.
This is either the most amazing or most terrifying thing that’s ever happened to me.
Then solid ground materialized beneath her feet, and she stumbled forward onto black volcanic stone that glittered like crushed diamonds.
The sensory overload nearly brought her to her knees.
Heat rolled across her skin—not oppressive, but like stepping into a perfectly warm bath.
The air tasted of cinnamon and ozone, with an underlying sweetness that made her want to breathe deeper.
The twin suns painted everything in golden warmth, creating shadows that danced with orange fire.
But it was the feeling that truly staggered her.
Peace.
For the first time in months—maybe years—the constant low-level anxiety that lived in her chest simply... disappeared. Her shoulders relaxed. Her breathing deepened. Even her persistent headache melted away like it had never existed.
How is this possible? I should be having a panic attack. Instead, I feel like I’m home.
“How was the wormhole?” Gerri appeared at her elbow, looking completely unruffled by interdimensional travel. “Some people find it a bit intense on their first trip.”
“It was...” Lila searched for words that could capture the experience. “Like being turned inside out and put back together, but in a good way?”
“That’s the spirit.” Gerri’s laugh sparkled in the alien air. “And what do you think of Nova Aurora?”
Lila turned in a slow circle, taking in the landscape that shouldn’t exist. Lava rivers carved glowing paths through valleys of black stone.
Strange plants with purple leaves swayed in a breeze that carried unfamiliar scents.
In the distance, she could see what looked like other territories—forests of violet trees, mountains that gleamed like crystal, and plains that stretched toward horizons painted in impossible colors.
But it was more than the visual spectacle. Something in her very bones recognized this place, as if she’d been carrying a map to Nova Aurora inside her without knowing it.
“It’s beautiful.” The words felt inadequate. “And I know this sounds crazy, but it feels... familiar somehow.”
Gerri’s eyes flashed gold with unmistakable satisfaction. “Just as I hoped.”
Before Lila could ask what that meant, Gerri was pointing toward a structure that dominated the landscape ahead of them.
Calling it a castle seemed too small a word—it was a fortress of black glass and volcanic stone that seemed to grow directly from the mountainside, its towers reaching toward the twin suns like dark fingers.
“That’s Draven’s home,” Gerri said with a hint of pride. “The Dragon Citadel.”
Butterflies erupted in Lila’s stomach with such sudden intensity that she had to press a hand to her belly. Not nerves—something deeper and more primal. Like every cell in her entire body was suddenly vibrating with awareness.
Something important is about to happen.
The thought came from nowhere, carrying absolute certainty that made no sense. She was here to treat King Draven Kaelith, nothing more. Professional therapy sessions with the dragon king suffering from psychological distress.
So why did looking at that imposing castle feel like staring at her destiny?